A. Field of Invention
This application pertains to a dividing system for partitioning a room or closing off one side of the room or doorway and separate the room from another room or from the outside. The system includes one or more panels formed of two frames and an intermediate transparent or opaque member sandwiched therebetween.
B. Description of the Prior Art
Typically, rooms are either subdivided by a system of screens or panels. Many screens and panels have similar structures; they consist of a generally rectangular frame that provides most of the structural strength of the panel and have some sort of indentation used to hold and support a central intermediate element. In the case of screens, the intermediate member is either a stiff material, such as a grill, or a flexible material such as a mesh. On the other hand, the central element of a panel is a relatively rigid material that is frequently transparent, or at least translucent, such as a sheet of glass or plastic.
One problem with existing panels or screens is that the frame of the panel has to be strong and heavy to support the central member. However, esthetically, panels made of lighter and thinner materials are more desirable.